In a significant gesture, Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has granted a Christmas bonus of ₦100,000 to each civil servant on the state’s payroll.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) chapter in the state expressed immense satisfaction with this development, hailing the bonus as a historic move after an eight-year hiatus.
The official announcement of the bonus came through a Special Government Announcement issued on Tuesday and disseminated to the press, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent. State Commissioner for Information, Joseph Johnson, formally endorsed the two-paragraph statement.
The statement reads, “Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has approved ₦100,000 as a Christmas bonus for the state’s civil servants. Governor Fubara gave the approval on Tuesday for immediate implementation to enable the civil servants to have a wonderful yuletide celebration.”
Earlier, the governor had already given the nod for the promotion of civil servants.
Reacting to this positive development, the State Chairman of the NLC, Alex Agwanwo, expressed his appreciation, emphasizing that the state’s civil servants are committed to supporting the governor’s initiatives. He highlighted the uniqueness of the yuletide bonus, which breaks an eight-year tradition.
Agwanwo stated, “It is a welcome development. Since that memo came out last night, I have received several calls from workers, and you can see the level of joy among workers. For the past eight years, this has never been done, and it is happening now. This is the reason we will continue to support the governor in all his activities and programmes.
“He proved that he is a civil servant who grew through the ranks to become a governor. Even without us putting any pressure on him, the governor came on his own and did this. We want to appreciate him. We pray that God will protect and keep him in that office. No weapon formed against him shall prosper.
“The workers of Rivers State will continue to support and be within through thick and thin. We will stand by him because he has proven to us that he is our own. And we will protect our own no matter what happens.”
